Sep

7

Blumentritt, 12 Years Later

Filed Under My Comics, Philippine Comics, Timawa | 22 Comments

“TIMAWA” is one of the very first projects I thought of drawing when I started thinking of comics to do way back in 1992. Other ideas included “TRIBO”, which is my own superhero group composed of the very first Apolaki Warriors, and “Berzerk!” which eventually became Wasted.

I liked the word “Timawa” because it had a present day negative connotation, but I recall it having the original meaning of “free men”, as the middle class between Maharlika and Alipin. I thought it would be a nice, short name to build a superhero story around. I thought up this whole mythology of Apolaki Warriors that were trained from birth to protect people from evil. I came up with a story, and David Hontiveros wrote the script for the very first Timawa story, which appeared in Alamat 101.

“Eight hundred years ago, every first born child not more than 8 years of age from every barangay across the land were called upon to serve Apolaki, God of war. Each child was trained in all forms of combat, bred to endure and survive.

Of the ten thousand children first brought before Apolaki, only half returned to their villages as men, hardened warriors to serve as chiefs and protectors. They became known as Apolaki Warriors, sworn to protect their people from the dreaded Sidtaka Warriors, ruthless and merciless soldiers sworn to serve Sidtaka, God of death.

In the years that followed, each warrior trained his own first born, who then went on to teach his own first born, in an unbroken chain throughout time.”

That was the original description of Timawa from 1995. From this story came this 2 page spread of Timawa jumping over the tracks of Blumentritt in Manila. I spent 2 weeks sporadically working on that spread, including a day going around Manila taking pictures of places to include as backgrounds, just to ground the story in reality. I thought the view of shanties lining the railroad seen from the LRT station looked spectacular so I just had to put it in the story.

That spread went through quite a bit of history since then, from Barry Windsor Smith ripping it in his critiques (which I’m enormously grateful for) to an almost re-publication in an aborted nationwide tagalog komiks project in 2006. The story exists in published form in Alamat 101’s one thousand copy print run (or was it 500?) and online.

When I was contacted last month by KC Cordero to do Timawa for a THE BUZZ Magasin, I jumped at the chance. Never mind that it had an a difficult deadline. I just had to do it. I could do Timawa in Tagalog, and it would have nationwide publication in a widely read magazine. I could do it in full color, and 2 pages a month, similar to my Humanis Rex schedule. Since Dr. Rizal is having a bit of a delay, doing Timawa for THE BUZZ fits in my schedule nicely.

If the first panel seems familiar, yes, it’s the same view from LRT’s Blumentritt Station, but 12 years later. I returned to this place a week ago to take pictures. I had wanted to use that original spread because I rationalized, hardly anyone has actually seen it. But when I saw how much has changed, I felt it just won’t do. People living there would hardly recognize it. I just had to redraw it.

Timawa will debut in October issue of THe BUZZ Magasin, to be released on September 15.

Thanks to KC Cordero for hooking me up with the mag. And incidentally, “Timawa: Jumper” has just finished serializing online. You can read the 8 page story beginning here.

Comments

22 Responses to “Blumentritt, 12 Years Later”

  1. Ferres on September 7th, 2007 5:21 pm

    Nice coloring.
    :D

  2. Carver on September 7th, 2007 6:42 pm

    Ang ganda ganda ganda ganda, Gerry!! :-)

    Ako rin nga eh, kelangan ko pang mag-Maynila, para sa “location scouting” ng Zaturnnah in Manila.

  3. Budjette on September 7th, 2007 8:24 pm

    Wonderful!

    As exciting as the first time I saw the pages of the first TIMAWA story, when you showed it to me outside of Platinum Comics, while we were leaning against the glass window panel of Magoo’s Pizza. hahaha

    Oh great… now I have to buy THE BUZZ! :)

  4. Rod Samonte on September 7th, 2007 11:34 pm

    Gerry,
    Excellent. Kaya lang masyadong maliit yung Timawa, I can’t really read it. I have to buy The Buzz magazine I guess, except we can’t get it here in the States. However, Timawa: Jumper is readable and again exceptional. I like the black & white, really shows all your lines. I think you’ve improved even more from Elmer(could be the small size). Excellent compositions, figurations, and inking. I still have to read the story, which I’ll do soon.
    Rod

  5. auggie on September 8th, 2007 12:06 am

    Rod,

    Same here, I like the B&W too. BTW, When are you going to update your website ? it’s high time, May pa iyun. Could you do some rounds sa mga bargain bins ng komix diyan and feature it in your site ?and how about the 40th anniversary of THE SUMMER OF LOVE ?featuring Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Canned Heat, Grateful Dead ? did you went to San Francisco for that event ? Apo ni Kapre, lives nearby your place….

  6. andy chavez on September 8th, 2007 3:46 am

    wow, iloveit. it has been overdue in my opinion but i want it as the same. i just have one comment. i hope you will improve the logo of timawa. i like it in a bit ethnic effect, but the use of old language on top of timawa seems does not fit the font type of timawa and its theme. just a small suggestion. but it is all good as well.

    i was longing for this title as well as lakan.

    btw. i am in canada but i was getting copies of your work back home as much as i can.

  7. Rod Samonte on September 8th, 2007 5:42 am

    Gerry,
    Hahaha, hindi ko alam may Kapre sa kabilang bakod lang. Maraming mga Pinoy comic illustrators dito, sabi ni Tony Zuniga kapitbahay ko lang, sa North Hollywood, but Tony never gave me their phone numbers. He must be real busy. And Bernie Wrightson also lives in North Hollywood. And Hey, you know what? I just bought some cool comics from the bargain bins here. Mayroon pa akong nakuhang Alex Nino. Okay, it’s time I updated my blog, and I’ll do just that. No I haven’t been to San Francisco in a long time, and I missed the San Diego Convention altogether. Pahirap na ng pahirap ang pumunta dun, high prices of gas, high prices of hotels, plus the entrance, pamahal din ng pamahal.
    Thanks again.
    Rod

  8. jose mari Lee on September 8th, 2007 6:10 am

    Ginoong Samonte:

    Maraming mga Pilipinong TIMAWA sa States, ehe, may The Buzz pala sa States. I saw some in LA, Daly City, Garden Grove and even in Reno.

    I get them here too in Vancouver. Sayang nga dahil the printing is quite good, tapos walang TIMAWA. Now it make sense to put it there. $8.00 per magazine.

    JM

  9. Rod Samonte on September 8th, 2007 12:20 pm

    Gerry,
    I just finished reading Timawa: Jumper. Hahahaha. What an ending. 1997 mo pala ginawa iyon. That means it was done way before Elmer. Now I’d really like to see what you’re gonna be doing with Rizal. You should do a series of these Timawa short stories and publish it. Excellent job. Congrats.

    JM,
    I’ll try looking for The Buzz in Seafood City, maybe?
    Rod

  10. Mall on September 8th, 2007 12:36 pm

    Can’t wait to see the big Timawa comics so I can read it! Ang gandang ganda ung coloring mo, talagang professional! Keep it up!

  11. gilbert monsanto on September 8th, 2007 12:49 pm

    parang madilim ang BG sa 3rd panel sa baba, di ba kinain ang text?

  12. Gerry Alanguilan on September 8th, 2007 8:58 pm

    Gilbert! Una balak ko lagyan ng balloon, pero nung ni lettering ko, teka, baka OK na walang balloon. Medyo dark nga sa lower part ng panel, kaya nilagyan ko sya ng drop shadow na puti para lumabas. Hindi lang kita masyado rito sa low res, pero hopefully lumabas sa print. Maganda naman ang papel at printing ng The Buzz. SANA! :D

  13. jose mari Lee on September 8th, 2007 9:50 pm

    Kaya nga mas mabuti talaga kung sa Illustrator ilagay ang text at balloons para mapadali ang trabaho. It’s a lot easier to edit your text and balloons in Illustrator. What’s more, you can leave your photoshop file (the drawings and colors) alone, and you can determine the inensity of the text and the balloon independently. Maganda nga ang glossy stock ng The Buzz kaya ang chances na magbago ang kulay sa actual printing ay hindi na gaanong malaki, unlike in newsprint, talagang sakit ng ulo ang volatility ng kulay, especially Cyan and Red.

  14. Reno on September 9th, 2007 9:39 am

    Delikado lang yung letters kung mag-mis-register ang color separation ng publication. Kahit sa mga glossies nangyayari ito. And from my experience in Advertising, di effective ang drop shadow o glow na puti. Mas safe kung puputian mo na lang yung text.

    Masasabi ko lang… talagng dedicated ka sa craft mo, Gerry. Kung ako yan, ginamit ko na yug lumang panel, wala namang makakahalata kundi mga nakatira doon. Pero binago mo pa rin! :)

  15. Gerry Alanguilan on September 9th, 2007 9:56 am

    Hello Reno! I’ll keep what you said in mind, about the white drop shadow… I’ll check the results when it comes out and I’ll see if I will do it again or not.

    He.he. Salamat! Naisip ko lang kasi… may mga tao doon na sigurado akong makakakita nung BUZZ at iniimagine ko silang umaakyat ng LRT para tingnan at sasabihin nila… teka, di naman ganun ang itsura a!

  16. jose mari Lee on September 9th, 2007 11:36 am

    Reno:

    Misregistration happens if the text is done in CMYK.

    That’s a no-no in pre-press. the black text, specially in komiks, must be simply K.

    Also, I’ve seen some Philippine printed magazine here and when they use a large black background, they don’t put a 40% Cyan booster, thus making it so flat. Another no-no in pre-press.

    That’s why if the text is plain K and placed separately from the art, you’ll have two independent elements and both will come out honky-dory. K ALWAYS overprints, no matter what. That’s how it is advantegeous in komiks.

  17. Reno on September 10th, 2007 9:53 am

    Sir JoeMari…

    Yup, dapat naka-overprint yung K (or Black ink). So Gerry has to submit the files separately… the lettering in a vector program (Illustrator, Freehand, Quark or whatever else) and the main image in Photoshop. Kasi if the whole image including letters will be submitted in Photoshop, doon na magkakaproblema sa printing.

    But then, dito kasi sa Pilipinas more often than not dumidilim ang printing (di ko alam kung bakit). Kaya baka nga kahit naka-overprint young black, baka malunod pa din kapag sobrang dilim nung background.

  18. Nerp on September 10th, 2007 10:34 am

    from experience, sa final art e nag-aadjust ako ng brightness, kasi sa printing laging dumidilim

  19. Jerico Torres on September 10th, 2007 10:55 am

    astig ! as usual,

    natatandaan ko pa nung unang makahagilap ako ng photocopied b and w ng timawa sa com-x den sa san pablo, blown away ako at ang mga kakilala ko dun sa highly detailed centerspread ng blumentritt lrt station tapos naka reverse dolphin dive yng protagontist sa ere, sabi ko sa sarili ko : waw ang husay ng pagkakadibuho. bale isang issue lang yung nabasa namin na lumabas eventually sa com-x den din sana magtuloy-tuloy na ngayon. rakenrol !!!!

  20. Jose Mari Lee on September 10th, 2007 11:45 am

    Kaya pala yung LASTIKMAN komiks na ipinadala sa akin ni Robby V ay napakadilim. Parang nakikipag-table ako sa isang GRO sa loob ng BEER HOUSE :)

    Could it be that the PH of the paper changed during the actual printing? Masyado kasi ang humidity diyan sa atin, di ba? Lalo na kung summer, maliligo ka talaga ng at least 5 times daily because of the heat. Kasi kapag pinawisan ka sa labas, dumidkit ang shirt mo sa iyong skin. That feeling is so awful.

  21. kc cordero on September 10th, 2007 9:16 pm

    jm,
    nangyayari ang madilim na printing sa maraming dahilan at isa na rito ang mga binanggit mo. ang iba pa, na i’m sure ay alam mo rin at baka hindi mo lang na-anticipate na nangyayari dito sa atin:
    a. kapag ang printing ay ibang company ang gumagawa at naka-save na sa pdf ang file na ipi-print. usually, ang color separation ng pdf ay madilim, at sa ganitong format ay hindi na maia-adjust ng machine operator;
    b. kung hindi naman naka-pdf at puwede pa ring galawin ng machine operator ang file, posibleng magkaiba ang calibration ng monitor ng 2 machines na ginamit (art director vs. colorsep). malaking problema rin ito kapag PC ang isa at mac ang isang machine dahil magkalayo talaga ng quality.
    c. considering na in-synch ang 2 machines, art director & colorsep, sa printing na mismo may problema… lalo na kapag running na at hindi nagbantay ang art director para mai-adjust ng litographic ang kulay.
    d. in some instances, ang quality ng ink at papel ay factors;
    e. bihira naman ito pero may mga artist/art director na gusto ay madilim ang layout nila

    sa malalaking publishing dito sa pilipinas gaya ng summit media, may sarili silang printing department kaya ensure ang quality.

  22. Jose Mari Lee on September 11th, 2007 5:23 am

    KC, mukhang tinatamad lang yung pre-press person na hindi na i-tinker yung files. It can easily be edited with Acrobat Distiller.

    However, if the file was dark to begin with, you really have to go back to Photoshop and fix it. Na-notice ko lang na kulang sa sharpening ang mga files ng galing diyan sa atin, at saka hindi nilalagyan ng S-Curve na siyang nagbibigay ng punch sa file.